Hornets Run Into Bulls' Buzz Saw

There was a time, not so long ago, when a Bulls victory over Charlotte meant little more than keeping a young team in its place. Now it serves a different purpose but retains the same effect.

The Bulls' 109-97 victory Monday night over the Hornets was one more indication that the defending champs are still very much a team to be reckoned with. Their sixth straight victory and 10th in the last 11 games also sent a not-so-subtle message to their Central Division foes that glowing preseason predictions carry you only so far.

This was the Bulls' third victory in four nights over teams considered among the league's best. And in notching their second victory this season over the Hornets-the first was an overtime victory on opening night in Charlotte-the Bulls received another one of those all-around efforts that has been fueling their current streak.

"I'm really proud of this team for this four-game sequence of games," Bulls coach Phil Jackson said. "It was a real grind we had to go through."

Seven Bulls scored in double figures, with the bench again outplaying its opposition, outscoring the Hornets' reserves 34-22 and outrebounding them 16-7.

In addition, the Bulls' starters may have had their best collective effort. Scottie Pippen, whose on-court leadership has blossomed into a seamless and selfless nightly effort, had his first triple-double of the season, finishing with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

"I'm not amazed at all (by the current streak)," Pippen said. "We deserve it. We're not backing down from anybody."

Bill Cartwright, playing game to game with a left knee so ravaged by tendinitis he can't straighten it, taught still another cocky young center a lesson in NBA basketball, combining with Bill Wennington to hold Alonzo Mourning to 13 points and eight rebounds. Cartwright finished with 10 points and four rebounds; Wennington had six points and eight rebounds.

In addition, B.J. Armstrong kept up his offensive reliability with 19 points, Horace Grant overcame a poor shooting night to finish with 14 points and 16 rebounds, Pete Myers pitched in with 10 points and Steve Kerr continued an increasingly impressive display of shooting, going 7 of 11 for 15 points.

Overall, this was not a flawless effort, as the Bulls had several ragged offensive stretches. But much like past years, the winning streak pumped confidence into a tired team and sustained them.

"The thing we talk about is sustaining lengthy winning streaks," Jackson said. "The last time we had four victories, we lost to Philadelphia in overtime and it was the only glitch in December. So we've tried not to let fatigue or our succession of games bother us this time and I think it helped carry us through this game."

The Bulls led by 13 at halftime, allowed the Hornets to climb to within six midway through the third, then extended a 12-point lead after three quarters to 16 midway through the fourth. Victory came easily if not sloppily as the Bulls committed five turnovers in the final period.

But the Bulls thoroughly dictated tempo and slowed down the energetic Hornets, taking 96 shots to their 76. The Bulls also won the rebounding battle 49-37.

"We knew we were a little thin coming into this game," said Cartwright, in reference to the Bulls playing without Stacey King, sitting out a one-game suspension for his altercation with Dennis Rodman on Saturday night. "But we feel really good right now. Everybody on this team is seeing how far we can go. We're playing some very good ball."

Kerr said the Bulls' balance is simply a powerful force to combat.

"We're playing so well together," he said, "it's like we have an answer for everything."

The Bulls stalled midway through the third quarter, going through a 1-of-7 cold streak-including a three-minute scoring draught-while the Hornets outscored them 11-2 to cut a 15-point deficit to six. But the Bulls came on strong at the end of the period, breaking the draught with a bucket by Grant and extending the lead back to 13.